Eba Kandovazu

At least 379 foreign nationals have voluntarily left Namibia under the government’s immigration amnesty programme. 

At least 55% of this number is from Zimbabwe and the majority of the remainder from Angola, China and other African countries.
The ministry extended the amnesty deadline to 27 February 2026 following an initial rollout that began on 15 December 2025 and was originally set to end on 16 January 2026.

In an interview with Nampa on Monday, the executive director in the immigration ministry Nghidinua Daniel said 210 Zimbabwean nationals exited the country between December 2025 and February 2026.
An additional 36 Angolans, 30 South Africans, 21 Chinese nationals and 19 Zambians also left Namibia under the amnesty programme.

 Other departures included 13 nationals from Botswana, nine from the Democratic Republic of Congo, eight from Germany, and six each from Ghana and Malawi.
Departures were also recorded for citizens of several other nations, including Kenya (four), Congo Brazzaville (three), Nigeria (two), Tanzania (two) and Cameroon (two). Single departures were noted for nationals from Russia, Burundi, the United Kingdom, Norway, Poland, India, Cuba, the Czech Republic and several others.

Daniel said immigration authorities had observed non-compliance with the Immigration Act, particularly among individuals who entered Namibia legally but overstayed their permits.

He said, under normal circumstances, such violations would lead to arrest, detention and possible prosecution.
“As much as the first preference is that people should obey the laws that are in place, we are also human beings. 

The government is a caring government, and we believe that, in some circumstances, people do things not because they are really bad people or with bad intentions, but maybe because of circumstances,” Daniel said.

He clarified that those covered by the amnesty are not considered undocumented in the strict sense, but rather individuals who either overstayed their permits or no longer hold valid status. 

With the amnesty period now concluded, Daniel said normal enforcement operations have resumed.
“We believe that any person who has not really come forward, I think they will only have themselves to blame,” he said.

He added that immigration officials, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, will intensify inspections to identify individuals residing or working illegally.

He urged employers and landlords to verify the legal status of foreign nationals they engage, stressing that compliance with immigration laws is a shared national responsibility.
-Nampa